The present invention relates generally to cleaning implements and, more particularly, to floor cleaning implements.
Floor cleaning implements are well-known and widely used in commerce to clean hard flooring surfaces, such as ceramic tile, hardwood, vinyl, laminate, linoleum and marble floors.
One type of floor cleaning implement that is well-known and widely used in the art is a dry duster, also commonly referred to in the art as a sweeper. Examples of some well-known dry dusters are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,513,184, 6,484,346, and 6,305,046 and include the.
A dry duster of the type noted above is designed to capture onto a disposable, electrostatically-charged cloth light household debris, such as dust, dirt and hair, from a hard flooring surface. Typically, a dry duster comprises an elongated cylindrical handle which is pivotally coupled to a flat sweeper head through a universal joint. The flat sweeper head is adapted to releasably retain the disposable, electrostatically-charged cloth around its bottom surface. In use, an operator lightly glides the duster over a floor surface in need of cleaning so that the disposable cloth is in direct contact with the floor surface. As the disposable cloth comes into contact with dry household debris present on the floor, such debris is electrostatically retained on the disposable cloth. As can be appreciated, debris collected onto the disposable cloth can simply be disposed of by removing the used disposable cloth from the sweeper head and then discarding the used cloth as waste. In order to perform further cleaning, a new disposable cloth is mounted onto the sweeper head.
Although well-known and widely used in the art, dry dusters of the type described above suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, dry dusters are designed to electrostatically capture household debris present on a floor but are not designed to wash or scrub a floor. As a result, dry dusters have been found to be inadequate instruments for thoroughly cleaning a hard flooring surface.
Accordingly, dry dusters have been modified in various ways to allow for the wet cleaning of a hard flooring surface.
As an example, it is well known in the art for dry dusters to use a cleaning pad which is moistened with a cleaning solution. In this manner, a pre-moistened cleaning pad can enable a conventional dry duster can be used to wash, or scrub, a hard flooring surface, which is highly desirable.
As another example, it is well known in the art for dry dusters to be equipped with a system for dispensing liquid floor cleaner (this type of duster being referred to herein as a quick clean mop). An example of a quick clean mop is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,006.
Quick clean mops are similar in construction to dry dusters in that quick clean mops comprise an elongated cylindrical handle which is pivotally coupled to a flat cleaning head through a universal joint. The flat cleaning head of a quick clean mop is adapted to releasably retain a disposable, absorbent cloth (also commonly referred to as a cleaning pad) around its bottom surface.
Quick clean mops differ in construction from dry dusters in that quick clean mops include a floor cleaner dispensing system which is typically actuated through a trigger assembly mounted in close proximity to the free end of the handle. As such, an operator can first dispense a supply of floor cleaner from the quick clean mop onto a desired area of a floor and then rub the absorbent cloth over the dispensed floor cleaner in order to scrub clean the desired area.
As noted briefly above, a quick clean mop is adapted to releasably retain a disposable, absorbent cloth around its flat cleaning head. However, it should be noted that different types of quick clean mops utilize different means for releasably retaining a disposable, absorbent cloth around its flat cleaning head.
One type of quick clean mop which is well-known in the art is provided with one or more attachment structures on the top surface of its flat cleaning head, each attachment structure including a plurality of contiguous, deformable, pie-shaped sections which together define a jagged slot. Examples of this type of quick clean mop include the CLOROX™ READYMOP™ which is manufactured by the Clorox Company of Oakland, Calif. and the GRAB-IT GO MOP™ which is manufactured by S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. of Racine, Wis. The cleaning pad designed for use in conjunction with this type of quick clean mop is sized and shaped to include winged portions along its outer periphery which are sized and shaped to be retained within the attachment structures formed on the flat cleaning head of the quick clean mop. Specifically, in use, the cleaning pad is positioned against the bottom surface of its flat cleaning head. In order to retain the cleaning pad in a mounted position against the flat cleaning head, each wing of the cleaning pad is folded onto the top surface of the flat cleaning head and is inserted, by hand, down into the jagged slot defined by each attachment structure, each of the pie-shaped sections of the attachment structure engaging the cleaning pad so as to retain the cleaning pad in place on the flat cleaning head.
Another type of quick clean mop which is well-known in the art is provided with one or more strips of a hook-type fastener material (commonly found in conjunction with VELCRO® products) on the bottom surface of its flat cleaning head. An example of this type of quick clean mop is the SWIFFER®WETJET® which is manufactured by Proctor & Gamble of Cincinnati, Ohio. The cleaning pad designed for use in conjunction with this type of quick clean mop similarly includes one or more corresponding strips of pile-type fastener material (commonly found in conjunction with VELCRO® products) on its top surface which are adapted to engage the hook-type fastener material on the cleaning head of the quick clean mop. Specifically, in use, the cleaning pad is positioned against the bottom surface of the flat cleaning head such that the hook-type fastener material is drawn into contact against the pile-type fastener material, thereby securing the cleaning pad onto the cleaning head.
Although well-known and widely used in commerce, the various types of cleaning pads for quick clean mops as described above typically suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, as noted above, each type of cleaning pad is specifically designed for use in conjunction with a particular quick clean mop. For instance, winged-type cleaning pads are only available for use with quick clean mops which include attachment structures on its top surface. Similarly, cleaning pads with strips of pile-type fastener material are only available for use with quick clean mops which include corresponding strips of hook-type fastener material on the bottom surface of its cleaning head. As a result, most conventional cleaning pads are only adapted for a use with a limited number of quick clean mops, thereby decreasing its range of potential applications, which is highly undesirable.